Wolf With an Accent

Shendar arrived at the academy campus, and she couldn't believe her eyes. It was a lot larger than she thought, and there were many students walking around, talking, and getting tours of the area.

There were huge buildings that were spaced far apart. Many were actually facilities, and some were about the size of a small shed, probably for storing things such as recreational equipment or lawnmowers.

The place where she was standing had a fountain in the middle, and some sculptures in the distance. There was a building behind the fountain where many students were gathering. They seemed to be getting papers, and some adults were dividing some of the kids up as if they were going to be led someplace.

When she first entered, some people were there to greet the new students. When she walked up to one of them, they asked to see a document which contained her name, where she was from, and the dorm she would be staying at. From there, they tagged the luggage she brought and placed her stuff off to the side to be delivered to the dorm later in the day.

The girl continued her way towards the crowded building ahead. There, she would receive some papers explaining the events that were going on during the first several weeks and proceed with a campus tour.

Luckily for her, she didn't talk very much. Before arriving at the school she had spoken to a couple of strangers, asking for directions or a quick chat with the locals. And when Shendar heard her voice for the first time, with the help of the spell on her pendent, she was shocked with how deep it was.

It was a husky-like tone, which felt strange and uncomfortable to her ears. And when she spoke their language, it was somewhat broken but still easy for others to understand.

The folks would look at her with shock or confusion for a brief moment before answering her questions, which gave her a weird feeling.

Shendar approached the crowd, makingher way to the table in front.

"Hello!" said a woman in a cheery voice. "Is there something I can help you with?"

"Uh... yes," she replied, slightly grimacing at the sound of her own voice. "My name is Shendar, and... I'm here to get the, uh, papers for the new school year. I'm... one of the new students."

"Well, nice to meet you, Shendar! Welcome to the academy!"

The woman had the same shocked expression as everyone else, but it disappeared as quickly as it appeared.

"Here's your schedule. The next tour starts in ten minutes, so feel free to hang around till then. I hope you enjoy your time here!"

"Thank you," Shendar said, graciously taking the papers.

The girl made her way towards a group of students, attempting to mingle with the crowd. She was amazed with how many different kids were attending the school; elves, humans, werewolfs... She could tell by their auras.

And it was breathtaking to see so many different folks from different backgrounds congregate all in one place. It completely left her in awe! So much so, that she ended up running into another student.

"Ooofff!"

The body she ran into was about the same height as her, maybe a head taller. The being was also slightly muscular, and smelled somewhat sweet.

"Oh! Sorry, lass! Are you alright?"

Shendar took a step back to look at the person. And she was right about the description; he was a little taller than her and seemed to be on the lean side. Most of all, the boy had wolf ears!

"Uh, yes. I'm alright," she replied.

"That's good. I should've watched where I was goin'."

"No, no!... Eh, it was ~I~ who... should have been watching!"

The boy chuckled, somewhat amused by the situation.

"I see," he grinned. Then he held out his hand. "Name's Diaz. What's your name?"

Shendar carefully took his hand. She was aware of how the folks greeted each other here, yet it felt so weird to her.

"My name is Shendar... It's a pleasure to meet you."

"Likewise," Diaz replied, shaking her hand. "So, I have a question fer ya, if ya don't mine me askin'."

"Uh, sure," she answered cautiously. "What is it?"

"Yer not from 'round here, are ya?"

Shendar felt her heart lurch. This werewolf didn't figure out what she was, did he?! Her aunt said that the ~mist~ would conceal her drakaina aura too!

"What makes you say that?" she asked nervously.

"Well, yer name and accent says it all," Diaz explained. "And, if ya don't mine me sayin', you have a... interestin' name. A very nice name, nonetheless!"

"Oh!..." She didn't know whether to be flattered or insulted by his response. And he did have a point, too. The way he spoke suggested that he must be a southerner.

"Don't take it the wrong way, lass," he continued, seeing the look on her face. "I have no intentions of bein' rude to ya."

"Oh! I... I'm so sorry! I didn't mean to... seem like that."

"Hey! Don't worry 'bout it. We're all new here."

The girl breathed a sigh of relief. Was this feeling what they call "first day jitters?" Either way, she was just as new to this world as he was. And who knows... this new, unknown world could help start things that no one thought possible.

"Say," Diaz said, after a brief moment. "The next tour is about ta start... Mine if I tag along? As long as we're gonna be students here, we could get ta know each other more."

"Uh... sure."

...

This Diaz guy was pretty nice. She had met a few werewolves before, but they weren't as friendly and easy-going as he was. She didn't know why, but the beastmen seemed slightly hostile towards her kind.

"Wow!" he gasped. "How you folks live up there?"

"My family has lived there for, eh... what you say, generations. The cold don't bother us."

"Must be somethin' experiencin' warm weather like this."

Shendar nodded. Her kind has lived in the frigid climate for centuries. And because of her ice dragon blood, even the most artic temperatures don't bother her. But with her choker, even the slightest sun ray sent a tingling sensation across her skin.

"How about you? Where are you from?" The girl asked.

"Ahh!" he sighed, with a smile on his face. "I come from a small city in the south. No snow there, but we do get occasional rain storms. Sometimes, it causes the local rivers flood!"

"Oh my!"

"Nah! It's a treat fer us! Especially the yung'ins. Fer them, it's like havin' a swimmin' pool in their backyard!" he explained.

This made her giggle. She could imagine the kids having fun splashing in the water just outside there homes.

"Ya like that, huh?!" Diaz asked, teasingly. "I fine that amusin' myself."

Shendar giggled again. And when she looked at the werewolf, a small gust of wind blew and pushed his light gray hair to reveal the side of his face. And what really caught her eye was the pink in the tips of his hair. In a way it was alluring, but it also made him look handsome, too.

"Don't get too attached, lass," he said, breaking her train of thought.

"Oh?..."

He nodded slowly. "I may be good lookin', but I'ma mean, ~SCARY~ monster with teeth, perfect fer eatin' young lasses!"

This made her giggle even more.

"Wha?!... Arn't ya scared?"

Shendar shook her head.

"Jeez!" Diaz retorted. "Kids these days arn't scared of nothin'..."

"I guess not," she replied.

This time, both of them laughed. Each enjoying each other's company, as well as poking fun at one another. And somehow, with this comedic wolf around, it might make attending this academy more interesting.